D&D 5E What do you think of Fizban's races, subclasses feats and spells?

[Paul Farquhar]

Yes, although usually the wizards I am playing are Bladesingers on the front line already

You can't rate a feat based on how useful it is for a very specialised and inherently suboptimal build!

 

[ECMO3]

Carrying a 50 gp potion is a lot cheaper than a feat!

Sometimes when you can buy and afford them. Unlike spells and feats though they don't recharge when you get a rest so if you are away from civilization for a long time this can be tough to do.

The problem with wizards is they are often running an 8 strength and this limits what they can carry. While they usually have a potion or two on hand they rarely can take many if they are going to be away from civilization for an extended period carrying survival gear and food. If you are operating near your home base or in a city and don't have to carry rations you can carry more potions (but then you probably don't need to because you can buy them if you get low).

 

[ECMO3]

You can't rate a feat based on how useful it is for a very specialised and inherently suboptimal build!

I am not. I think it is the same regardless of the type of wizard you are playing. You are almost always going to be better off bringing back a character than not bringing back a character, especially when it does not cost a spell slot.

As I alluded to above, any wizard with hps is a better front liner than any other character who has 0 hps.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I am not. I think it is the same regardless of the type of wizard you are playing. You are almost always going to be better off bringing back a character than not bringing back a character, especially when it does not cost a spell slot.

As I alluded to above, any wizard with hps is a better front liner than any other character who has 0 hps.

Unless you are reviving a downed character, in combat single target healing is a poor use of the action economy. It's bad, even on a bladesinger. On a normal squishy wizard it's even worse. In an emergency, when there is absolutely no one else, a potion, healer's kit or goodberry is a better option. At my table, every character who is not a healer carries one of these - it's not a great expense since it is very rarely needed.

Now, if the spell gained was Healing Word, that would be a different kettle of fish...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Carrying a 50 gp potion is a lot cheaper than a feat!

Sure, but potions run out, and not all games make them as readily available as others.

Unless you are reviving a downed character, in combat single target healing is a poor use of the action economy.

But it's a very good use of an action when you are reviving a downed character. Also, it's often a good choice when you're healing a barbarian that's raging, which effectively doubles the amount of healing you're doing. It's also a good choice in rounds where otherwise you'd just be throwing a cantrip at something, as it can keep a character from dropping the next time they get hit.

It's bad, even on a bladesinger. On a normal squishy wizard it's even worse. In an emergency, when there is absolutely no one else, a potion, healer's kit or goodberry is a better option. At my table, every character who is not a healer carries one of these - it's not a great expense since it is very rarely needed.

Okay, but that doesn't mean that the feat is bad, it just means that it isn't something your table is likely to take.

Now, if the spell gained was Healing Word, that would be a different kettle of fish...

Healing Word is nice, but a bit overrated. It's only real purpose is getting downed characters up, which is useful, but hardly a constant circumstance.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Okay, but that doesn't mean that the feat is bad,

I never said it was bad, I just said it wasn't better than GCD. I would rate both feats a solid average.

 

[ECMO3]

Unless you are reviving a downed character, in combat single target healing is a poor use of the action economy. It's bad, even on a bladesinger. On a normal squishy wizard it's even worse. In an emergency, when there is absolutely no one else, a potion, healer's kit or goodberry is a better option. At my table, every character who is not a healer carries one of these - it's not a great expense since it is very rarely needed.

Now, if the spell gained was Healing Word, that would be a different kettle of fish...

I agree, but that is what we are talking about, bringing back a downed character. I wouldn't use it for anything else unless it was as I said right before a rest and was going to go to waste anyway.

That is what healing word is best used for too, bringing back a downed character, it to is mostly a waste for anything else in combat. It is better than cure wounds for this because it is V only, it has a range and is a bonus action. The only disadvantage it has is you can't ready it. The difference in hps is not relevant enough to matter.

Preemptive healing is generally not a good idea in combat unless you cast a high level spell that gives out a bunch of hps. It is almost always better to wait until someone is down then cast it unless you give them so many hit points that they will last several turns. It costs one action regardless, but the net hit point gain is better if they are at 0 then if you cast it before they are at 0 because excess hit points do not get subtracted on a hit.

For example if a guy is at 1 and you heal him for 7 then he is at 8, then if he gets hit the next turn for 10 he is down anyway at 0. You wasted your spell and action because he woudl be at 0 even if you didn't use it. If instead you cast your spell on the next turn when he was at 0 it would bring him back to 7. This is even true if he is hit and does not go to 0. If you let him get hit and taken to 0 before casting he will always have as many or more than if you cast it before he was at 0. If the initiative is such that you don't want to do this then ready your spell for when he is hit. Wait for him to go to 0 then put your spell on him to bring him back to 7.

For example, let's say you are fighting an iron golem your fighter is at 1 hit point and has a high total, say 60. If you cast a 1st level healing spell on him every turn it is not possible for the golem to kill him RAW. The Golem can take him to zero every turn, make a second multiattack with advantage for a failed death save every turn but he is still alive. Then you bring him back up next turn, and erase his failed death save. Even if the fighter goes after the golem in initiative, provided he does not have a failed death save already you can still ready your healing, then you bring him back up right after the Golem's turn and the fighter gets a full attack routine before going down again. Rinse and repeat. As an extreme example you can cast goodberry and then feed him a goodberry every turn after he goes down and for the cost of a single 1st level slot the golem can not kill him for at least 10 turns. That may seem cheesy but it is RAW.

As far as a bladesinger specifically, I would not use it in combat for anything other than reviving an ally. The only "healing" spell I use in combat with any of the bladesingers I have played is false life, and that is usually upcast using a 4th-6th level slot while I already have full hit points or very near full hit points and while I have used it in combat, it is usually cast before combat. She also upcasts false life on allys, and does this more often in combat than casting it on herself, but again it is usually when they are at or near full hps already and it is usually upcast at 3-6th level.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I played the playtest chromatic dragonborn for months and the thing is that the breath weapon is still just bad compared to whatever else you have available most of the time - and this final version is nerfed on top of that. I was a fighter and I almost always attacked with melee because it was just more optimal than doing less damage with a breath weapon and then having to deal with a save that makes it even lower. It doesn't benefit from hex, or hunter's mark, or GWM, or sneak attack, or smite, et al. If you're running a spellcaster, the breath weapon takes your whole action and does less than just casting a spell. It doesn't matter if you can do it every combat if casting spells or using melee is better anyway.

PHB dragonborn are generally regarded as one of the lowest-powered racial options in the game. This makes them a little better. If you're disallowing it at your table, you're preventing your player with an underpowered option from catching up just a little to what other folks are playing. Its not a huge deal, but I think you're missing exactly why the dragonborn isn't considered a strong option.

I've been really going back and forth on the nerf to the damage for the breath weapon. Because I agree with you. 1d10 is worse than even 1d8+3 which you should easily be able to do against a single target.

But then I remind myself it is an AOE.

But then I remind myself it is save for half

But then I remind myself it is guaranteed damage.

But it could easily be 1 point of damage.


I think it would be fine to keep the original scaling, starting at 2d8. But the use of it really fluctuates with how many weak enemies you can line up in the breath. Because frankly, 5 hp damage to two enemies with 60+ hp isn't usually very effective, but 5 damage to three enemies with 10 hp is devasting.

 

[Chaosmancer]

One thing I would like to add, I absolutely LOVE the subtle DMing hint that the book gives you about these spells. By showing artwork of DRAGONS using these spells it immediately changed how I thought about them. It isn't just whether or not the players can get a solid use out of them, but how they can spice up encounters with dragons and other powerful spellcasters.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I've been really going back and forth on the nerf to the damage for the breath weapon. Because I agree with you. 1d10 is worse than even 1d8+3 which you should easily be able to do against a single target.

But then I remind myself it is an AOE.

But then I remind myself it is save for half

But then I remind myself it is guaranteed damage.

But it could easily be 1 point of damage.

Remind yourself that if you have the extra attack feature you can use it twice in one turn, so a 5th level fighter could do 4d10.

Remind yourself that 1 point of guaranteed damage is enough to force a caster to make a concentration check, or prevent a troll regenerating.